An Ode To “Reading Rainbow”

Last weekend, I was in a bar with five friends and we were talking about the television shows we loved when we were kids. Somehow, we all started singing the “Reading Rainbow” theme song in our corner booth. Heads turned as we belted out, “Take a look/It’s in a book/A reading rainbow/I can go anywhere …” But we didn’t stop—we are all proud former Rainbowheads. So imagine my surprise today when I saw that LeVar Burton, the actor from “Roots” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation Actor” turned the star/executive producer of “Reading Rainbow,” announced via Twitter that a reboot of the show could be in the works. “You heard it here first,” he said. “Reading Rainbow 2.0 is in the works! Stay tuned for more info. But, you don’t have to …”The last line there is, of course, “But you don’t have to take my word for it”—the words LeVar would always say before the classic segment on the show where real kids verbally reviewed a book they recently read. Another favorite feature of the show: when celebrities like Hulk Hogan, Bill Cosby, and Flavor Flav read books out loud.

The PBS series won 26 Emmy Awards over the years, so here’s hoping it’s coming back soon. With the allure of television and the interwebs, I know I’m reading significantly less than I used to. I’d hate to see our younger generation not appreciate the joys of cracking the spine on a good book, and “Reading Rainbow” is a great way of showing kids that books are cool. [BuzzFeed]

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